Awake: 5:35am Temp 64 Partly cloudy Overnight @ Portland, OR
We drink no coffee & skip breakfast. Leave the Columbia River Campground
RV Park @ 5:55am to beat the I-5 early rush hr traffic….& we did.
We enjoyed the people we visited & the visitors that visited us during our
11 days here in Portland. We should do this more often….it was fun.
The traffic moved along I-5 @ the speed limit until around Albany, then
road construction stalled us for 15 min….but 30 min later, we pulled into
a rest area & then had our coffee & breakfast.
We arrive @ our 1st destination an hr early with the good help of our GPS.
Kaiser Brake & Alignment shop on Taylor Street in Eugene, OR was ready for
our arrival. They just had a cancellation this morning so they took our
coach in earlier than scheduled.
What to do with our idle time while they align the bus? Kathy has a genius
of an idea: Let’s go clothes shopping for her! What a great idea &
something different!! Our detached Suzuki is ready to roll, 1st to Old
Navy….prices too high. Then to Trader Joe’s…for groceries as it was within
walking distance of O N. Next to Target…not enough choices. Then the Ross
store: Bingo! This was the place. She found 2 pairs of Capri pants, a
sleeveless top & matching sweater, silk blouse & a pair of slippers…. &
most of these items had been marked down. Oh, how she loves a sale!
Paul from Kaiser calls just before noon. They are not quite finished so
after their 1hr lunch break, they will finish up. We also need a lunch
break because Kathy is not quite finished. We each have a slice of pizza,
and then Kathy resumes her hunt for the good deals. Sears was next with no
good deals there so it’s back to Kaiser Shop.
The alignment is finished. It needed a couple of shims to make it right.
We pay the bill which surprised us by being so reasonable.
Kaiser does not do tires so Paul gives us an option on local truck tire
shops they do business with: we choose the Wyatt's Tire Company…..a mere 7
or 8 blocks away on 11th Street in the downtown area. Then Paul draws a
simplified map on paper to show us the way….because of many one-way
streets in Eugene, it could be challenging to get there from here. I am
tempted to program the GPS but the simple drawn map looks easy enough.
Kathy follows me in our Suzuki & we figure we’ll be there in 15 or 20 min
because of traffic. On my 2nd left turn, I heard a loud noise in the
galley area...I quickly glanced back to see a jar that crashed to the
floor, spilling out food with the freezer door open. Realizing I have 4
more left turns coming up….I check my mirrors, pull into the middle
turning lane, turn on the flashers, set the brake & run back to close that
freezer door. How did this happen, the auto lock was already locked & the
freezer door was open. It must not have been closed entirely when I
started the engine….that is when the refer & freezer doors locks
automatically. Anyway, about 30 min later we finally pull into the small
parking lot of Wyatt's Tire Co.
The guys were ready for us: Blocking the wheels, lifting the driver’s side
of the coach, removing the front tire & rim…. & moving it back to the tag
axle. Removing the tag axle & rim, they mounted a new tire on that rim &
re-installed it on the left front. These guys are good & very efficient.
After paying the bill (a little pricier than the alignment) we were “back
on the road again” in a little over an hr & heading south on I-5.
We arrive @ the Timber Valley SKP Park @ 6:50pm in Sutherlin, Oregon. I
had called this park during our time @ Wyatt's to confirm a site for
tonight.
Today’s travel: 5+26 time 214.2 miles 29.8 fuel 7.29 mpg 43.9 avg speed
8:30pm dinner: Italian sausage, red pepper, & Parmesan scramble over
sautéed spinach with garlic, olive oil, and Mozzarella cheese.
Today’s high temp=? Lights out: 11:39pm
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